Palestinians inspect the rubble of the destroyed house belonging to Hamas militant Mohammad Abu Shmala, following an Israeli air strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip on Friday, Nov. 16. / Eyad Baba, AP

by Naser Najjar and Ruby Russell
Special for USA TODAY
, USA TODAY

by Naser Najjar and Ruby Russell
Special for USA TODAY
, USA TODAY

GAZA CITY - Many Gazans lined up for bread and fuel Friday while others hunkered at home, bracing for a possible ground war from Israel over the relentless barrage of rockets Hamas has been firing across the border.

"Everything has changed completely over the past few days," said Sukrit Kapoor, a lawyer. "People are very, very worried. They have been stocking up on food supplies and so on to make sure they are prepared for the worst.

"People are expecting something big over the next couple of days â?? a ground invasion might be in the cards," he said.

The Israeli Defense Forces ordered thousands of troops to mass near the border with Gaza for a possible ground offensive to take out the rocket-launching capabilities of Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group that controls Gaza.

Israel's Defense Ministry requested authority Friday to move as many as 75,000 reservists to the border.

Mostly, the streets remained deserted as Gaza City residents gathered their families and sheltered at home, few venturing out even for the call to prayers. A few pharmacies, bakeries and supermarkets did open their doors, and those brave enough rushed out to gather supplies.

Many fear that if the violence continues, there won't be enough food and fuel to go round.

"We are not sure that the food supplies in Gaza can meet the requirement for these people," Kapoor said. "There are around 1.8 million people in Gaza, and given the blockade that Israel has been imposing on Gaza for the last four to five years, it is extremely difficult to obtain food supplies, and people here are really without resources."

Since most homes and businesses rely on generators, there are also concerns over how long fuel supplies will hold out. When electricity allows, locals tried to follow developments on the latest airstrikes and rocket launches on Hamas-controlled state TV and via Twitter and Facebook, sharing worries over how long the violence would last this time around.

Palestinian blogger Rana Baker in Gaza, providing updates on the situation, said it was difficult to stay online.

"Electricity is out. Will have to disappear. So worry not, and thanks!" she tweeted.

Exploding shells caused worry and panic among locals. Firefighters and ambulances raced around the city, some stationed at street corners in case a strike hit a building nearby.

"I can hear at least two or three explosions every hour here," Kapoor said as an explosion went off in the background. "There has been a constant bombardment through airstrikes, through the drone strikes."

Hospitals were overloaded and unprepared in terms of staff or medication, he said.

"Two of my colleagues went to the hospital in Shifa, and they were quite shocked by the conditions," he said.

"People have absolutely no resources to protect themselves: They don't have any safe rooms or access to bunkers, so they just try to stay inside and make sure their children are with them," he said. "The best option is just to stay at home and hope that a rocket doesn't strike. People are just praying they are not the next target."

Others tried to make light of the situation.

"Managed to record one of the loudest explosions (hit Gaza just now) that I've heard. Will Tweet in a few minutes. :)," Baker tweeted. "And now, I'm training myself to know when an explosion will happen before it happens."

In December 2008, Israel launched a three-week military offensive in Gaza to stop a rocket barrage. The fighting left more than 1,000 Gazans dead, mostly Palestinian fighters, according to the IDF and the Hamas Interior Minister at the time.

Many civilians who died in Gaza were in buildings used by Hamas fighters, according to the IDF, which blames Hamas for using civilians as human shields.

Twenty-two Palestinians have been killed and more than 200 wounded in the Israeli airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The prime minister of Egypt arrived in Gaza to have discussions with Hamas.

The Israeli military said its air campaign has hit 230 targets across Gaza. Palestinians continued to launch rockets into Israel throughout the day.

"I can't sleep at night with the danger my children are exposed to," said Om Mohammed Shaqalia, 45, in Gaza City. "I try my best to calm them down all night long."

"Ever since the military actions started, I haven't let my children leave the house," added the mother of five. "My husband goes out during the day to bring basic necessities for the family."

Some residents have moved to what they consider safer areas of Gaza.

Mohammed Abu Qassem and his wife and six children, evacuated their home in the Al Karama neighborhood, where several military compounds are located. They are now staying with Qassem's brother in the southern Rimal district.

"My family and I left Al Karama two days ago after literally living a nightmare in our apartment," Qassem said. "The continuous sounds of explosions were incredibly loud and shook the entire building. I was waiting for morning to come as fast as possible to flee to some other place."

But the family still feels far from safe.

"There are no safe places in the whole Gaza Strip," Qassem said. "Although we were expecting a better situation in my brother's area, we experienced the shattering sound of at least seven or eight massive explosions last night."